Introduction

Having grown up in Wilmington, N.C., I was vaguely familiar with various organizations that exist in our community that help to combat food insecurity and make food more accessible. However, it wasn't until I started working with Feast Down East that I truly understood the significant impact these partner organizations have on our local area. In curating this article, I reached out to several of these organizations, including Hawk’s Harvest, NourishNC, GLOW Academy, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, and the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center (NHC SRC) and posed the same seven questions to each. 

Through these conversations, I gained valuable insight into their individual missions, unique programs, and the significant impact they are making in our community. Additionally, I learned more about their perspectives on food insecurity and what they believe is essential for us all to understand about this pressing issue. I hope you find the information shared by these community leaders as enlightening as I did, and that it inspires you to join the collective effort to make food more accessible in our community.

About The Organizations

The local organizations I had the pleasure of talking with included NourishNC, GLOW Academy, The New Hanover County Senior Resource Center (NHC SRC), Hawk’s Harvest, and Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard. Steve McCrossan, MALS, MPA, Executive Director of NourishNC, writes “NourishNC is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to ‘Provide healthy food to hungry children,empowering them to succeed in the classroom and their community.” 

Gwen Gulliksen, Culinary Arts Instructor at GLOW Academy, writes “GLOW Academy, a public charter school, educates young women from diverse backgrounds through middle and high school, in a nurturing community with rigorous college preparatory curriculum to develop leaders who succeed in college and beyond. Our Vision - She Will...Graduate, Go to College, Succeed in Life”. 

Dylan Donnelly, Senior Resource Center Nutritionist, writes “The New Hanover County Senior Resource Center is a public facility where individuals aged 55+ have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of services and programs. The services/programs include recreation, life enrichment, nutrition, transportation, and more! Our mission is to serve as the focal point for aging services in New Hanover County by providing services that promote wellness, encourage independence, and enhance the quality of life for all older individuals”.  Jaime Russell, Director of Student Community Engagement at UNCW, writes “Hawk’s Harvest provides access to food so UNCW students can focus on their studies rather than worrying about how they will pay for groceries. Our goal is to ensure that no Seahawk goes hungry.” 

Finally, a volunteer with the organization writes “Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard is an all volunteer organization that provides emergency food to people in need. As an all volunteer organization, we rely solely on the hundreds of volunteers who donate their time every day to help collect, sort, package, and distribute food to those who come for help. With no paid staff, the cupboard operates with a working board of directors, whose members personally supervise the daily activities of the cupboard.” 

Food Insecurity in Our Area

It is clear that food insecurity remains a pressing issue across coastal North Carolina. To gain a deeper insight, I asked all of the contacted organizations and asked what key information they believed the public should understand about food insecurity in this region. Many representatives of these organizations stressed the issue that it is more widespread than you would originally think. 

Feeding America’s 2024 study called “Map the Meal Gap” stated that in 2022, 1 in 6 kids were considered to be food insecure. Additionally, one organization wanted to highlight that food insecurity disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, which includes the senior population as many are on a fixed income, have an inability to prepare meals, and have limited access to transportation. Additionally, another organization mentioned that many research studies prove that a child who grows up in a food insecure home will face barriers pertaining to their physical, mental, and emotional development. This can include being more susceptible to illnesses, affecting their ability to concentrate and perform in schools, and impairing their emotional and behavioral health.

Organizational Programs/Initiatives

Each of these organizations offers unique programs to address food insecurity; however, there is also significant overlap in their initiatives, reflecting common strategies and shared objectives in combating hunger. GLOW Academy participates in Meals on Wheels programming where meals are delivered to individuals in our area. Similarly, The Home-Delivered Meals Program at the New Hanover County Resource Center targets adults aged 60+ who are homebound. Volunteers drive fresh, well-balanced meals to these individuals’ homes. At the Castle Hayne, Wilmington, and Carolina Beach Senior Resource Center locations, seniors are eligible to receive a free meal that can be enjoyed inside the centers or distributed to them through their drive-up service.

NourishNC offers a Mobile Market on Market (Mobile MoM) to its clients, which features a custom market targeting food insecure children and their families by providing groceries in areas where they live. This model is similar to Feast Down East’s Mobile Market, however at FDE markets, customers pay for their products either by cash, card, or EBT (up to 50% off EBT up to 50 dollars). NourishNC also offers a stationary Market on Market (Market on MoM) to its clients that is geared towards families. This model is similar to Hawk’s Harvest’s model that is a stationary market available for UNCW students multiple times throughout the week.

Impact

It is important to highlight the far-reaching impact these organizations have on our community, as their efforts play a critical role in addressing food insecurity and improving public health outcomes. A volunteer with Mother Hubbard's Cupboard states that last year, their efforts helped distribute food to over 73,000 people. Out of this number, 2,500 of these individuals were new to their organization. NourishNC reports that 96% of caretakers that participate in their programs said that their children’s food security has been increased as a result. 

The NHC SRC writes that their various programs improve nutrition and health in their seniors through encouraging socialization, providing safety monitoring, reducing burdens that affect caregivers, and supporting low-income seniors in the area. Last fiscal year between July 2023 and June 2024, Hawk’s Harvest distributed over 24,000 pounds of food to nearly 1,000 students experiencing food insecurity. Looking back at our Feast Down East impact report, in 2024 $397,062 went back into the hands of local farmers that we work with, 13,000 pounds of food was sold through the mobile market program, and $9,000 was awarded to farmers through farmer scholarships.

Collaboration

Collaboration is a cornerstone of our efforts to combat food insecurity, enabling us to expand our reach and serve a greater number of individuals and families that are in need. Hawk’s Harvest is a partner agency of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. They write that without their support and without the support of the UNCW community and donors, they could not do the important work of making certain students have all of the resources they need to succeed in college. The NHC SRC partners with FDE to host the Mobile Market at each of their locations once a month, this way seniors are able to purchase fresh, local produce, meats, cheese, honey, and other value added products. 

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard receives food donations from the community that are then distributed to individuals in need. Additionally, the SRC participated in FDE’s Farmers Fighting Hunger Program, an initiative which allowed the SRC to order produce and sources of protein to distribute to their participants free of charge. GLOW Academy has a partnership with Willowdale Farm where the students grow sweet potatoes every year and cook with them in their culinary class. GLOW Academy has also received several grants to sustain their garden beds and through these funds, students are able to grow their own tea, herbs, and a variety of produce. 

NourishNC partners with many schools, nonprofits, and pediatric centers which provide resources about them and refer them to their programs. Additionally, NourishNC purchases food from FDE’s Food Hub and distributes it to their clients.

How to Contribute

After hearing from our incredible community partners and hearing about the meaningful work they do every day, I hope you feel as inspired as I was to get involved and make a difference in our community. Gwen from GLOW Academy encourages individuals to volunteer at places like Meals on Wheels, NourishNC, and community farms in the area. She also mentions that many grocery stores have extra foods set up at check-out stations where you can buy food and then donate it in-store to help feed people in our area. Steve from NourishNC says using your voice and advocating for policies that address root causes can make a huge difference. Additionally, he says that a key component is to start somewhere and stay engaged in the process. Dylan from the NHC Senior Resource Centers recommends connecting with a local organization whether that be a church that serves meals during the week, working with a non-profit, or working with the Food Bank to distribute food throughout our region. A volunteer from Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard says that small acts of kindness go a long way, for example giving a dollar or donating a bag of food, any and all donations are appreciated. 

Jaime with Hawk’s Harvest also encourages individuals to volunteer at your local pantry, community garden, or neighborhood pantry and be involved first-hand in addressing the issue of food insecurity. She also states that picking up extra cans of food while you are doing your weekly shopping and donating them to local organizations can make a great impact. With Feast Down East’s Mobile Market, there are many volunteer opportunities weekly to assist employees and aid in market operations. We would encourage anyone interested to visit the “Volunteer With Us” tab on Feast Down East’s website. 

Written by: Brianna Thiry | Mobile Market Coordinator at Feast Down East

Interviewees:
Steve McCrossan | Executive Director of NourishNC
Gwen Gulliksen | Culinary Arts Instructor at GLOW Academy
Dylan Donnelly | NHC Senior Resource Center Nutritionist
Volunteer | Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard
Jaime Russell | Director of Student Community Engagement at UNCW